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Air Liquide to Provide High-Capacity Air Separation Units for Posco

02/18/2008 - Air Liquide signs contracts to design and build very large air separation units—each with a production capacity of over 3,000 tonnes of oxygen per day—with Posco in South Korea and with Shenhua Ningxia Coal in China.

Air Liquide recently signed two contracts to design and build very large air separation units—each with a production capacity of over 3,000 tonnes of oxygen per day—with Posco in South Korea and with Shenhua Ningxia Coal in China.
 
For Posco, Air Liquide will supply two air separation units, each with a production capacity of 3,700 tonnes per day of oxygen. These unites—the largest production capacities ever installed for a steelmaker—will allow the Gwangyang and Pohang sites to meet the Posco Group’s planned increase in global steel production in South Korea. Air Liquide has already supplied Posco with 15 units to separate gas from air on these two sites, and has been recognized by the steelmaker as the “Best supplier 2007”.
 
In China, Air Liquide will supply the Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group, a subsidiary of the Shenhua Group, with two air separation units, each with a production capacity of 3000 tonnes of oxygen per day. These two units, which are the largest ever designed and built locally, will supply the oxygen needed for the synthesis of methanol and propylene from coal gasification.
 
“These new contracts in developing economies strengthen our international leadership,” said François Darchis, Senior Vice-President in charge of Global Engineering & Construction and a member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee. “They demonstrate our expertise in oxygen production technologies, to an extent previously not possible. They came in 2007, which was a record year for Air Liquide Group’s Engineering & Construction, with a very high order book.”
 
Posco produced 31.1 million tonnes of steel in 2007 with sales of 22,207 billion Korean won. Air Liquide has already sold 15 production units to this Group at the Gwangyang and Pohang sites in South Korea.
 
Shenhua-Ningxia Coal Industry Group is a main subsidiary of Shenhua Group founded in 1995. Shenhua Group, 84 billion RMB sales by end of 2006, is the leading coal company in China with 200 million tons of coal production a year and an extensive coal transportation network.
 
 
With nearly 40,000 employees in 72 countries, Air Liquide is a world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services. The Group offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced technologies and produces air gases and many other gases including hydrogen.
 
Founded in 1902, Air Liquide is committed to sustainable development, and has successfully developed a long-term relationship with its shareholders built on trust and transparency and guided by the principles of corporate governance. Sales in 2007 totaled 11,801 million euros, with sales outside France accounting for almost 80%.
 
Air Liquide Engineering designs, develops and builds gas production units for the Group or for its customers. Following its acquisition of the Lurgi group in 2007, it comprises 3200 employees, spread over ten Engineering & Construction centers.